Six Nations 2010: Scotland struggling to think on their feet at key moments

By David Sole, former Scotland captain Published: 7:30AM GMT 01 March 2010

One that got away: a disallowed try by Allan Jacobsen Photo: ACTION IMAGES

Since the spin of the year, he has been revelation me how Italy are going to spin over Scotland and how he is going to suffer winning the annual gamble the stakes, a crater of his excellent Italian coffee a gamble value winning.

As Saturday"s compare approached, his certainty in his group grew whilst my own one after an additional the decrease (it was utterly high after the autumn internationals). By the time Saturday dawned, I had a really bad feeling in my tummy about the diversion conflicting Italy.

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There was small to transparent my confusion as flog off approached, alternative than Scotland"s sad form in the Eternal City ever given Italy assimilated the Six Nations. Scotland were the Azzurri"s initial scalp in the foe in 2000 and it has been difficult for the Scots to win in Rome ever since.

But Andy Robinson had bolstered his scrum by reintroducing the barrel-like Allan Jacobsen, who gives small afar at scrum time and as the diversion began it was transparent that Scotland had paid courtesy to credentials in that aspect of fool around the Scottish eight dominated the majority vaunted Italian scrum all afternoon club one, rather consequential scrum that they lost on their own put in, five metres from the Italian line.

And therein was the hint of Scotland"s problems. When pull came to force (literally in this case) they could not modify half chances in to scores that is, of course, glossing over Scotland"s bad round influence and incapacity to conflicting the Italians in the hit areas.

But success in general rugby is about removing things right at the margins and that is where Scotland let themselves down, not once, but over and over again.

John Barclay found himself careering towards the Italian try line on a integrate of occasions. The initial time, he didn"t see for ancillary runners to offload to and instead took the plunge in to the round was slowed down and the home teams" counterclaim had time to rearrange for the subsequent attack. The second time he did the conflicting and looked for await but there was nothing to be seen and he and the round were used up by an Italian tackler.

Johnnie Beattie was an additional who had a half possibility to score, or to put someone in to space to measure and with dual men outward him it was great out for him to govern a candid dual on 3 and set the runners outward him free. But when one of the await runners motionless to take an inside line the overlie was lost and Beattie was left carrying to take the hit and an additional possibility went begging.

When you supplement the dual occasions that Jacobsen crossed the try line but the video arbitrate ruled no try, it is easy to see how close Scotland came to winning and usually how consequential it was for them to modify these chances.

But in reality, and it harm me to discuss it Geraldo yesterday, the improved group won. The Italians were really lovable at the relapse and slowed down Scottish round really effectively. I"m certain that majority Scottish fans would cruise a little of their methods bootleg and that Josh Sole deserved a 10 notation rest around half-time but you have to fool around the arbitrate and, as with the compare in Cardiff dual weeks ago, it was how Scottish players reacted to the diversion as it unfolded that was so disappointing.

I usually don"t feel there are sufficient Scottish players display the right sort of care nous that alternative successful teams retain and that successful Scottish teams have had between their ranks in the past.

It"s not something that you can coach, so one cannot point the finger at Robinson it comes from guidance how to win parsimonious matches; how to fool around the arbitrate and if the arbitrate isn"t you do what you goal he competence be, afterwards adjusting your own diversion accordingly.

It"s about meditative on your feet and operative out how to shift strategy or citation midst compare and meaningful how to take carry out of a game. Scotland indispensable that sort of care in Cardiff and Rome as both games were finely staid as the last alarm drew closer.

So right away Scotland are nothing from 3 and staring down the tub of a whitewash. The diversion conflicting the Auld Enemy will move out the most appropriate in the players, but they have not lacked for bid in any diversion this year.

They usually need to turn some-more grown up in their preference creation afterwards and usually then, will I be means to pledge myself a great, free crater of coffee once a year.